Susan Elizabeth does not quite understand what any of the voting stuff that her mom always talk about. That is, until her mom brings up the idea of a woman, like herself, running for office; then, the idea of suffrage becomes very enticing to Susan Elizabeth. Her father definitely did not understand any of what his wife spoke about, usually ignoring her ventures, and even telling his daughter that "women were meant to be an ornament to man." Susan Elizabeth's mother was radical, leading marches and even picketing in front of the White House. President Wilson ignored their picketing for a while, until eventually real soldiers were sent. Susan Elizabeth's mom was arrested for six months. Susan Elizabeth even protested in front of the White House and spoke to the President while her mom was gone! Her mother doesn't give up when she is released either, and even though it takes two more years, women finally get the vote! Susan Elizabeth promises her mom to vote in every single election when she grows up.

I liked the way this story was written a lot. Writing the book in the point of view of a young girl growing up with a suffragist mother is a unique choice that I really enjoyed, and you are able to watch her development as she gains an interest in women's rights. It's an inspiring read for kids, especially young girls, to teach them to fight for what they believe in. ( )

The setting of this book was in Washington DC, where the president's house is. The book is about a woman protesting for women's rights. The setting of the book connects because the women were protesting for equal rights and what is the best place to get closet to the president, the White House. Without the perseverance of these women, I today would not have the right to vote. The book make the reader realize what women had to go through to get the same rights as men. The woman leading the protest was jailed for six months until she was released after the president passed the equal voting laws. The first thing she did when she got out of jail was vote! I could only imagine being jailed for something like that in today's society. The illustrations of setting match with this plot very effectively; the pictures let the reader depict where the women actually are and what they were doing. ( )

This is a story of a time it was leading of women marching to have the right to vote. This book is detailed and a cool way to introduce to children what the right to vote meant to women at his time. k-3 readers can be seen in sections if given some background information. ( )

"Mama Went to Jail for the Vote" is a children's picture book that took place in the early 1900's during the woman's suffrage movement in Washington D.C. Susan Elizabeth is the main character in the story whose Mama is a suffragist, and was part of an army to stand up for women's rights while President Wilson was in office, and eventually got arrested. Susan Elizabeth followed in her mother's foot steps with a sign expressing her mother was arrested for fighting for the right to vote. Her sign was noticed by the president, and he agreed to meet with the senate to discuss women's right to vote. The illustrations in this book are marvelous, as they are colorful and detailed, in order to grasp the readers attention. This book also expresses a theme of tranquility and strength to young readers. ( )

Mama Went to Jail for the Vote is a story about a woman who is jailed for protesting for her right to vote, and her daughter, Susan Elizabeth, picking up that fight while her mother is imprisoned. This book really helps the reader understand the reasons why Susan Elizabeth's Mama went to jail for women's right to vote. The character Mama calmly explains that women represent half of the population and have no say over what happens. Also, this book does a great job explaining what a suffragette is. What stood out in particular to me was the change in Susan Elizabeth's father's opinion. When Mama was talking about women's right to vote, he just placated her, not taking her crusade seriously. But after Mama is imprisoned, Papa realizes that the law is unfair. His wife is a good mother who is exercising her American right to protest, is not a criminal, and does not deserve to be imprisoned for six months. I think that shows how many did not take this moment in history seriously and how their opinions changed once extreme measures were taken against suffragettes. I think the illustrations did a worthy job of helping tell the story and giving the reader insights into the events taking place. I admired this book and would recommend it to anyone wishing to learn more about the suffragettes. ( )